Autonomous vehicles are talked about as a way to make Nevada roads safer. However, it is not clear if these vehicles are ready to be fully released to the public. According to a report from the Rand Corporation, such vehicles may need millions or billions of additional test miles before they can be deemed safe and reliable. In many cases, it could take decades or centuries before car companies can meet this threshold.
Some people point out that many drivers tend to enjoy driving their vehicles, so it is unclear if they would be willing to give them up in favor of cars or trucks that drive themselves. It is also important to consider that there will likely be an integration period in which autonomous and traditional vehicles will share the road. The technology powering autonomous vehicles will need to understand what a human driver is doing to avoid an accident or other negative situation.
Today’s autonomous technology has trouble dealing with what are referred to as “edge cases.” For instance, one vehicle applied the brakes because a candy wrapper drifted in front of it. Vehicles may also get locked onto the cars in front of them and fail to account for those that change lanes suddenly. These are situations that can only be avoided by spending more time on the road or in simulated driving environments.
Crashes caused by distracted drivers could result in injuries to other drivers or passengers. Those who are hurt by the negligence of another person may be entitled to financial compensation to pay for medical bills, lost wages or lost earnings related to the accident. An attorney may be able to help an injured victim obtain a favorable outcome in a personal injury case.
